A New Dawn
by animal8
Summary: When Tonya is searched and found to be a suitable Candidate, a new life awaits her at Fort Weyr with a newly Impressed dragonet and a new found friend, F'san. Twelfth chapter up now!
1. Chapter 1

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

Disclaimer: I do not own the World of Pern it is owned by author Anne Mccaffrey, I do, however, own the individual characters seen in this story. This is also donw for fun, not profit and so no money is being made from this!

-

A million thoughts were running through Tonya's mind. She was a farmers' child from Ruatha Hold and here she was, riding a brilliant blue dragon, on her way to Fort Weyr to participate in the Hatching.

Two dragons and their riders had come to the hold to Search the children for potential Candidates. She had been Searched and selected by Nirlith, the blue she now rode. The dragon's rider, K'lor, had shown as much interest as his dragon, so she had been loaded into the riding harness along with four other children her age.

The other dragon had been similarly loaded with Candidates when they finally took off for their destination; Fort Weyr. Together, the two riders signalled then jumped _between._ Tonya held her breath against the sudden chill of _between_, this she knew was something she may have to get used to. In the time it took to cough three times, they burst out in the skies above Fort Weyr.

There was a distinct silence among the other children, each trying to get their minds around the possibility of Impression. This could well be the turning point for any or all of their lives.

The watch dragon bugled a greeting to the approaching dragons as they descended into the Bowl. All the new arrivals were greeted by the weyrlingmaster, J'kor.

J'kor clasped hands with the bluerider in greeting. "K'lor!" he exclaimed, "good to have you and F'san back." He turned his attention to the other bluerider. "Has Ridith picked out any good ones?" he asked.

"I certainly hope so," F'san answered, amiably. The dragon beside him uttered a soft rumble and suddenly, F'san turned his eye to Tonya, who had watching the bluerider in rapt fascination. She looked away quickly and felt the heat rising to her cheeks.

As the Candidates were directed to where they were to stay, in the weyrling barracks until the Hatching, F'san managed to single Tonya out and approached her.

"Ridith seems to have taken a liking to you," the rider commented lightly.

Despite his attempt at humour, Tonya felt her blush deepening. F'san chuckled, sensing her embarrassment. He offered an arm to her and raised an eyebrow, saying, "may I escort you to your quarters?" in such a way as she couldn't refuse.

When later she lay back on her bed, she thought about her encounter with F'san. Part of her wished to Impress merely to be able to stay in the weyr and see him, but she quickly ended that train of thought.

Instead she thought about Lolanth, the junior queen at Fort Weyr, and the clutch of 23 eggs that lay upon the Sands. The Hatching was expected to be in about a severnday, going from the time that she had Clutched. She found that she was surprisingly excited for one that had tried to fight against going. Maybe Nirlith was right in choosing her.

Well, she thought, she would have her answer at the Hatching when the critical moment came. It was, after all, the dragon's choice as to who should become their rider.

Slowly, she slipped into a contented sleep.

-

Author's Note: This is a more updated version of the old chapter, let me know what you think to the improvements. Thanks in advance and buy for now!!


	2. Chapter 2

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

The following week went by without much event. The Candidates were set to learning the rules of the weyr and basic training in wing formations and the like.

Then came the day that had been eagerly awaited by all at the weyr, most especially the as-yet un-Impressed children.

The humming of the dragons notified the weyr to the imminent Hatching. Weyrlingmaster J'kor ran to the Barracks and supervised the changing into the traditional white robes.

"Come on," he urged them, "get onto the Sands, quick as you can."

Tonya hesitated, unsure of what to do. J'kor spotted her and carefully approached. "Come along," he said kindly.

She looked to the entrance to the Bowl, then back to J'kor. Offering him a shaky smile, she headed out after the rest of the group and walked, as strong and proud as she could, onto the Sands.

Tonya stood with the rest of the girls in front of where the queen egg lay, separated slightly from the main clutch. With one eye focussed on the eggs around her, she observed the other female Candidates. Most of them, she had found, came from Fort Hold, with a few from the weyr itself. Then there were the Ruatha Hold Candidates. Only three of the nine children selected were female.

Suddenly, the first egg hatched with an explosive crack. A bronze dragonet creeled uncertainly, before wobbling towards the crowd of Candidates closest to it. Tonya saw one of the older boys from her Hold blink in surprise and try to take a step back only to stop again when the dragon cried out. As she watched, the boy, Gillan was his name, walked towards the bronze youngster, a grin slowly spreading on his face.

"His name's Koleth," Gillan announced, clearly delighted.

There was a cheer from the crowd and the other boys congratulated him with, "well done, G'lan." G'lan seemed surprised at the use of the traditional honorific used for dragonriders, but didn't say anything. The two of them moved back from the crowd of remaining Candidates, making room for others to move forward.

Two more eggs cracked, revealing a brown dragon and a blue dragon. Two more riders stepped forward to greet their dragons then they too fell to the back of the Sands.

Tonya switched her attention back to the queen egg as it began to rock and a scrabbling sound could be heard from inside. They watched as the cracks merged and the shell seemingly disintegrated around the creeling dragonet.

The marvellous gold stood before them, eyeing the group of potential riders. One or two of the girls dared the other to step forward, but no one moved. Cautiously, one girl from Fort Hold approached.

The dragon focussed her attention on her for a moment then turned away, moving towards the other girls. All the girls, with the exception of Tonya, were gaining their confidence and actively tried to catch the eye of the young gold.

Tonya, on the other hand, looked around nervously. She didn't know what to do. With a quiet sob, she slipped away from the group unnoticed. She didn't want to be caught leaving so she weaved her way through the remaining eggs, trying to blend in with the other Candidates there.

Dragonets were everywhere; she was finding it hard to avoid them. Then, without warning, an egg burst open next to her. She caught a flash of green before the dragonet crashed into her. Tonya scrambled up in alarm, the soft crooning of the baby dragon alerting her to its presence.

_I'm Selirth, what's your name?_ a voice spoke from within her mind.

"Tonya," she replied automatically.

_Tonya,_ the voice, which she now pinned as belonging to he dragon, said considering. _I like that,_ she decided.

A mighty grin split her face and a few tears dripped unheeded onto the floor as the full import of what had just happened hit her. She had _Impressed_. And to a beautiful green as well.

_What's wrong?_ Selirth asked, concern for her rider showing.

"Nothing's wrong," she assured, "nothing at all." She stretched out a hand and the green came to her, rubbing against her palm.

I can't believe I have my own dragon, Tonya thought .No one back home will ever believe this. She found herself wistfully thinking about her family; it would be a while before she saw any of them again.

_Can we go now?_ Selirth asked plainly, _I itch!!_

Allowing herself a fond smile, she reached back and scratched the young dragon's neck. Together the two departed, heading to where a group of newly Impressed weyrlings had gathered.

-

Author's Note: New version of chapter 2, let me know what you think!!


	3. Chapter 3

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

When at last all the dragons had found their riders and the remaining Candidates had moved off, the Weyrleader, L'poll, came over to welcome them into the ranks of dragonriders.

He scanned the group with a critical look, eyebrows rising in tell tale surprise when he spotted Tonya and her green. It was rare that a woman would be bonded to a fighting dragon, but there were occasions when there were female green riders.

The queen dragon had eventually stumbled upon a suitable rider; a girl about her own age who was one of the weyrfolk who had been Searched. Her name, Tonya remembered, was Tierre. The dragonet had introduced herself as Pilenth, so Fort Weyr had gained another Weyrwoman.

And speaking of Weyrwomen, Tonya spotted the senior Weyroman, Lily, coming over to stand beside her weyrmate. The senior queen, Adith, followed behind her rider.

"Welcome, Dragonriders," she said, casting a glance at L'poll. She mimicked him in scanning the pairs, dragons and riders together.

_Adith__ asks if we would like to feed,_ Selirth reported, _can I go?_

_Yes,_ Tonya thought to her dragon. She turned and saw the other dragonets move after the great dragon as she departed.

The Weyrwoman spoke again. "Would you please follow us and we can begin the first lesson of caring for your dragons," she told them.

Obediently, all 23 children followed the older riders to where a batch of meat had been prepared for the hungry hatchlings. They were shown how to hand feed their dragons and methods of applying oil to flaky or dry skin.

The lesson ended abruptly when the dragonets had eaten their fill and became sleepy. They had all departed to the weyrling barracks to settle the dragons into their new homes, with the exception of Tierre and Pilenth who were assigned one of the vacant Weyrwomen quarters.

Selirth barely reached her assigned quarters before falling into an exhausted sleep. Tonya frowned in concern, thinking to herself if that were normal.

"Don't worry, they'll sleep an awful lot in their first few months," the answer came from behind her. Tonya turned to see F'san standing at the entrance to the female weyrling quarters. As there were only two female weyrlings, one from an older clutch and her, she had plenty of choice as to where to sleep and had picked a place in the corner, hoping for a bit more privacy.

She smiled a greeting to the older dragonrider and curtseyed slightly, as was proper for a dragonrider to do for one of a higher rank. Much to her surprise, F'san merely dismissed the need for such formalities.

"She's a fine young green," F'san continued, by way of making conversation. He reached down to scratch the dragonet's eye ridges then paused, looking up to Tonya for permission.

She gestured for him to continue and watched in amusement as her dragon leaned into the contact, relishing it. F'san seemed equally amused by the young dragon's reaction. Tonya was curious to find out why the other rider had visited but thought better of asking outright, deciding instead to wait until F'san was ready to tell her.

Finally, after indulging himself with several more minutes with the dragonet, he turned to Tonya. "I came to ask if you would like a personal tour of the weyr," he told her.

Confused, Tonya answered politely, "I would be delighted." F'san's apprehensive expression melted into one of relief. Still, Tonya wondered what this was about, as she had already been at the weyr for a while she pretty much knew where everything was.

The bluerider seemed to sense what she was thinking for he smiled and said, "trust me," before turning and leading the way back to the Bowl. Respectfully, Tonya followed, casting a fond glance back to her sleeping dragon as she left.

-

Author's Note: Same as with the last two chaps. Thanks guys for all your reviews so far, bye for now!!


	4. Chapter 4

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

Outside the sun was setting, casting the Bowl into shadow. F'san led the way across to where his dragon crouched, silently waiting.

Ridith raised his head as they approached, his whirling eyes following their progress. "Up you go," the bluerider said cheerily. Curiosity urged Tonya onward as she accepted F'san's boost into the harness.

"Hang on tight," he told her, lifting himself up to sit behind Tonya. Wrapping an arm around the younger girl for safety, he silently urged his dragon up.

Tonya felt her heart quiver at the close contact with the other rider, but forced the thought from her mind. Instead, she concentrated on the view that her vantage point in the sky offered her.

Ahead she saw the star stones of Fort Weyr and realised they were their destination. Moments later, they were sat together, staring out at the sunset. Ridith stood statue-like behind them.

"I used to come here a lot when I was a weyrling," F'san said quietly. Tonya turned to him in surprise, but stayed quiet, sensing he was about to say more. It wasn't long in coming. "I've only had my own weyr for a few months, now," he said,turning to her, "so yes, it wasn't long ago that I was classed as a weyrling."

He looked at her and she realised that he had pre-empted her question. She blushed slightly. Plucking up her courage, she asked, "how long does weyrling training last?"

F'san smiled. "Usually about three Turns, sometimes more. It depends on the teacher and the students."

Tonya thought about this and found another question come to mind. "Who's going to teach the weyrlings?" she asked.

"J'kor and one of the wingleaders, probably P'dan," F'san answered, adding at her confused look, "he rides bronze Galoth".

"I don't think I've met him," Tonya admitted.

The bluerider chuckled. "No, I don't think you would have," he paused, "he's been at Benden Weyr for the last two severndays, should be back tomorrow, though."

"Why was he there?" Tonya asked, cocking her head to one side and regarding him carefully.

F'san shrugged, "something about wanting to go through their records. Don't know what for, mind."

Ridith let out a low rumble. F'san nodded absently and turned to face Tonya. "We should get you back," he said, "you're up for a long day tomorrow."

Tonya grinned. She knew what he meant; there were chores for all the weyrlings to complete as well as caring for Selirth. Despite the prospect of hard work, she was looking forward to her first full day as a weyrling of Fort Weyr.

With great ease F'san clambered up Ridith's foreleg then leaned over to pull Tonya up. She settled herself in the riding harness excepting the support from the bluerider, and tenderly reached her mind out to her dragon. Relieved at finding her still slumbering, she prepared for the short flight.

She was chilled to the core when Ridith landed in the Bowl, close to the Weyrling Barrack's. The nights at Fort were becoming increasingly cold; a sure sign that winter was fast approaching.

Bidding goodbye to the older rider, Tonya hurried into her quarters, taking care not to disturb her new room mate.

Selirth raised her head and looked sleepily at her rider. _Are you alright?_ she asked.

_I'm fine,_ she assured the young green, _just had a trip out with F'san. He showed me the Star Stones._

_Oh._ The dragonet's eyes whirled in amusement. _You like him, don't you?_ she asked.

Tonya felt herself blush, partly because it was true, partly because her dragon found it amusing. She decided to change the subject. "Do you need oiling?" she asked aloud.

Selirth considered for a moment, before shaking her head. _No, I'm fine for now,_ she said, _tomorrow though…_Her voice trailed off as she fell back to sleep.

With a fond smile and a shake of her head, Tonya pulled her covers over herself and quickly fell asleep.

-

Author's Note: Hurray, another chapter!! Keep reviewing and let me know what you think. Any and all compliments, corrections and criticisms (so long as they're constructive) are more than welcome. Thanks in advance! Bye for now!!


	5. Chapter 5

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

True to her word, Selirth woke Tonya just as the sun was appearing over the edge of the Bowl.

_I itch,_ she complained.

The young rider smiled fondly at her green. She quickly found the bowl of oil she left at her bedside and set to work. Tonya examined every inch of the young dragon's skin, as she had been shown, looking for dry and flaky patches then effectively oiling them. She was glad she had something she could feel responsible for. At 12 Turns she had never been given any credit at her hold.

_There, there!_ Selirth cried when her rider started on a particularly bothering spot. _That's wonderful._

"I'm glad you're enjoying this," Tonya said to the little green, as she finished. _I think that's done for now,_ she thought and was pleased to sense Selirth's acknowledgement.

A sudden chirp from nearby interrupted her thoughts and she looked up to see another, though admittedly larger, green dragonet waking from slumber along with her rider.

_She says her name is Fialith,_ Selirth informed, her tone full of curiosity, _can I play with her?_

Tonya eyed the other dragon dubiously. _I don't know; she's a lot bigger than you._ Though her mate didn't say anything, she could sense her disappointment and sighed. _Let's see what her rider says, _she allowed.

Even as her eyes strayed to the weyrling, she found that she was already looking in her direction. Standing up, she extended her in greeting. "Hi, I'm Tonya," she said.

The older girl smiled and accepted her hand in a firm shake. "Nice to meet you, I'm Julia." She smiled indulgently at her hatchling, "and as I'm sure your dragon has said, this is Fialith."

"She wants to play," Tonya told her new friend.

Julia grinned in response. "So I've been told." At Tonya's questioning look, she expanded, "Fialith gave me an impression of her exuberance."

"Oh."

"Well, I don't see there's a problem with that," Julia said. _Go ahead, Fialith, but mind you don't fly; we don't want her to get hurt, _she told her dragon.

_Yey!_ Selirth exclaimed.

Tonya rolled her eyes. _Off with you, then,_ she said. Needing no further prompting, the two weyrlings raced out into the Bowl.

Julia gestured invitingly in their direction. "Shall we follow?"

Chuckling, Tonya replied, "I think we had better." They left the weyrling barracks and traipsed toward the Kitchen Cavern for breakfast and some warm _klah_.

-

Author's Note: fourth chapter! a little short I know, but I'm getting there. I encourage you to keep reviewing, it really means a lot having your support. Thanks everyone and bye for now!!


	6. Chapter 6

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

The two greens were playing what seemed to be a dragon version of tag as they chased each other around.

Tonya and Julia parted from the frolicking dragons, leaving them to enjoy the first rays of the sun. They found themselves a seat among the other weyrlings, a good mix of young and old, in the Kitchen Cavern.

The Weyrleader stood, made a quick announcement welcoming the new weyrlings and signalled for the food to be brought forth.

Tonya contented herself with a warm sweet roll and some wonderfully fresh butter. 'Made fresh for the occasion' Telir, the head cook, had proudly announced as she laid it on the table

As she ate she listened to the conversations around her. Older weyrlings and dragonriders were explaining to the new weyrlings the finer details of caring for young dragonets and talking about their sleeping habits among other things.

There was also excited talk about some new training programme with watch-whers. With less than 50 Turns until Thread Fall, the Weryleaders were taking no chances. The Records showed that the watch-whers had fought Thread at night and that the dragonriders had found it easier to coordinate with them.

It made sense to Tonya. Watch-whers saw better at night than either dragons or fire-lizards, so why shouldn't they be good at fighting Thread in the dark.

When her dragon was able to fly, would she also train with the watch-whers? She wondered. Just then she felt her dragon become restless and could almost sense what she wanted.

_I'm hungry!_ Selirth complained, confirming Tonya's thought.

_I'm coming,_ she told the little green. "I'm sorry," she said to Julia as she excused herself, "Selirth's hungry".

The older weyrling waved her out. "Go, go, your dragon always comes first," she said, while shoving another buttered roll into her hand.

Selirth met her eagerly and crooned softly. "Come on," she needn't have said it as her dragon raced on ahead of her. Tonya glanced around and spotted Fialith, who had laid herself in a sunny part of the Bowl.

Then they had reached the Weyrling Barracks and she quickly found a bowl of scraps and set to feeding them to the growing hatchling.

Tonya smiled to herself as she contentedly scratched the green's eye ridges. Selirth curled up, her belly now bulging with food, and fell quickly asleep. Tonya reached her mind out to her dragon, relishing the contact and her new found source of company.

Movement out in the Bowl caught her attention. Tonya left the Weyrling Barracks with Selirth following hesitantly behind. She looked across to the Weyrwomen quarters and saw Tierre with a very excited Pilenth stepping out of their weyr.

Selirth chirped inquisitively and immediately the gold's head swivelled in their direction. Pilenth identified the sudden noise and chirped back. _Can we meet them?_ Selirth asked eagerly.

_You want to meet everyone, don't you?_ Tonya said with a fond chuckle.

Selirth cocked her head, considering. _What's wrong with that?_

Tonya smiled. _It's absolutely fine,_ she said. She caught sight of the junior Weyrwoman waving them over and, knowing never to disobey a Weyrwoman, she crossed the distance of the Bowl to her.

-

Author's Note: Yeah, sixth chapter. hope you all out there are still enjoying this, still working on getting a little more excitement into it, but its coming. feel free to make suggestions for the future of this story or of any improvements i can make to it. (even if its just speeling mistakes) any and all help is much appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

Pilenth nuzzled Selirth as soon as she came close enough. Tonya and Tierre studied each other; taking in every aspect of the other's appearance.

Finally, the Weyrwoman spoke. "What's your name?" she asked.

"Tonya, Weyrwoman," she answered instantly.

Tierre smiled. "Please, call me Tierre. I'm not used to being called Weyrwoman, plus I like my friends to call me by my name," she shifted nervously before adding shyly, "and I hope we can be friends".

Tonya smiled, delightedly, in return. "I'd like that," she said, equally shy. An excited noise attracted both riders' attention and they turned to see the green and gold dragonets nipping playfully at each other; much to the amusement of Fialith, who remained in her spot and watched contentedly.

"Tierre, I'm glad to see you're up," a voice sounded from behind. Tonya quickly identified the newcomer as Weyrwoman Lily.

Adith approached, following her rider. Sensing the presence of the senior queen, the two young dragonets crept apart guiltily. Seeing this, Lily laughed lightly. "Oh, it's quite alright. I don't mind you and your dragon having friends among the other weyrlings and dragonriders. So long as it doesn't affect you're work in this Weyr as Weyrwoman," she added with a warning note in her tone.

"I'd better go," Tonya excused herself with a proper curtsy to both Weyrwomen, before pausing. "Unless, Weyrwoman," she said to Lily, "there is something I can do for you?"

Lily smiled at the younger woman and shook her head. "Go and finish breakfast, after that you can start work with the other weyrlings," she told her, "go and see H'marn, he'll tell you what you have to do".

Julia smiled a greeting as Tonya resumed her place beside her. "Is she satisfied now?" the older weyrling asked.

Tonya nodded. After a thoughtful pause she asked, "Can you point out H'marn for me please?"

The greenrider scanned the surrounding tables and pointed to one in particular. "The big lad over there," Julia said. Tonya looked and spotted a tall, broad-shouldered boy, only a couple of Turns older than herself. "He rides bronze Zyath".

She offered her thanks and left to speak with the other weyrling, snagging a couple of sweet rolls as she did so.

-

Author's Note: HURRAH! Another chapter after so long of waiting! I hope this continues to be an interesting story and I appreciate all of your feedback, its really helpful. Please, continue to read and review. And so, bye for now! :)


	8. Chapter 8

A New Dawn

- Dragonriders of Pern

Less than an hour later, she was working taking an inventory of their stocks with two other younger weyrlings and being supervised by an older one.

A young boy entered the room then and bowed respectfully to the older weyrling, before conversing with him in a quiet voice. Although she knew it was wrong to listen in on others' conversations, Tonya found she couldn't help but overhear some of what was said.

"Weyrleader L'poll requests that all older weyrlings meet with him immediately in the Bowl, T'vil," the young boy informed him.

T'vil frowned at this news before nodding. "Thank you, Danoll," the older weyrling answered. He turned to the rest of us, as if debating what to do. Finally, he said, "Finish the work in here and the next two stores, if I'm not back after those, then I trust you to find something to do".

With that said, he turned and left the room. Danoll made to follow, but Tonya quickly signalled him over. He hesitated, unsure, but curious enough to come over to her.

"What?" he asked in a hushed voice, probably trying to avoid the attention of the other, younger weyrlings.

"Do you know what that was about?" Tonya whispered back.

Danoll shook his head. "Only that the Weyrleader wishes to speak to them," he paused, "although there was a visitor arrived last night".

"Last night?" Tonya asked, confused.

"Yeah," Danoll responded, seeming thoughtful, "it was strange that. He arrived in the dead of night like he was nocturnal or something". A chirp sounded from above and they both looked up at the new arrival.

Hovering above them was a brown firelizard who chirped again in recognition and flew down to Danoll who collected him from the air. Tonya stared at it in fascination. "You have a firelizard?" she asked in awe.

The younger boy nodded. "His name's, Halla," he said while scratching the miniature dragon on its eyeridge.

"He's gorgeous," she murmured, still staring in fascination.

"Yeah, he is," Danoll agreed lightly. "Bet he's nothing like a dragon, though, is he?" It was his turn to peer curiously at her.

A warm smile touched Tonya's mouth when she thought of Selirth, her beautiful young green dragon. No, she didn't suppose a firelizard was anything like a dragon, despite being distantly related.

The boy took her expression as all the answer he needed, and nodded in acknowledgement. "So, what do you ride?" he asked, casually, "I bet a green, right?"

Tonya looked at the smaller boy in surprise. "Yes, how did you know that?" she asked with wonder on her voice.

Danoll looked kind of embarrassed then. "I'm usually a good guess," he responded, trying to sound nonchalant.

The young weyrling frowned as she considered his response. She felt there was something more to it than that, but he obviously didn't want to tell her so she let it rest. Maybe he would let her in on whatever it was, once he knew her better.

"I should get back, lots more weyrlings to round up," he mumbled, gazing down at his feet and making no effort to maintain eye contact.

"Oh," Tonya said, hiding her disappointment, "I should let you go then". Danoll looked up at that moment and offered her a shy smile, before shuffling quickly out of the room.

"See you later, Danoll!" a cheery voice called from just outside the room and Tonya instantly recognised who it was and felt her heart quicken.

Sure enough, a moment later, F'san entered the room. "May I borrow one of you younger weyrlings?" he asked politely to no one in particular. Without waiting for an answer, his eyes scanned their small group, quickly locking onto Tonya's slightly awed gaze.

She looked away, feeling her traitorous blush rising again. F'san's gaze softened minutely. "How 'bout you?" he said and Tonya instantly seemed to know he was talking to her.

Reluctantly she lifted her gaze and met his clear blue eyes with her own. Not trusting her voice, she nodded slightly. F'san smiled in apparent delight at her answer.

"You may come with me then," he said warmly and led the way, glancing back once to be sure she was following. She barely hesitated before trailing after him.

-

Author's Note: Hey guys! Got another chapter up for you, yey. Let me know what you think and don't be afrain to suggest improvements or developments for the plot. I will any and all suggestions into consideration. So please, please, review and let me know what you think! :)


	9. Chapter 9

**A New Dawn**

**Dragonriders of Pern**

"I wanted for you to do the honour of showing our new guest around the weyr," F'san explained, turning to face Tonya who followed obediently beside him. "I trust you are familiar enough with the place?" he asked.

Tonya kept her face respectful as she answered. "Yes, of course, sir," she said.

F'san nodded in return. "Good, good."

They were crossing the Bowl now and Tonya could clearly see Selirth running happily around the much larger blue Ridith. She smiled to herself as she thought that the little green must have come out to investigate.

The older rider noticed the direction of her gaze and turned to observe the scene. "She's quite an enthusiastic character, isn't she?" he commented.

Tonya felt herself; though for the life of her, she couldn't understand why, blush at his casual remark. "Yes, she is," she agreed fondly. "I hope she is not bothering your dragon, though," she added with a concerned frown.

F'san laughed lightly. "Not at all," he reassured her. "Actually, he rather seems to enjoy her company," his tone was thoughtful, "She's made a great impression on him, I'll admit. Despite being a searcher, Ridith prefers not to have to have contact with the dragonets."

The frown that was already present on Tonya's brow deepened. "Is that usual, do you think?" she asked, hoping that she would not offend.

This time it was F'san who frowned as he considered this. "No not usual," he said eventually, "But all dragons have different personalities. Ridith won't ignore them if they need help or are curious, he just prefers the company of the older dragons".

Selirth chirped excitedly. _I like him; can I be friends with him?_ She asked inquisitively.

_I t__hink that's up to him, little one,_ Tonya replied. She returned her attention to the other rider when he chuckled again. "What?" she asked curiously. In the next instant she blushed furiously, realising that she may have sounded rude.

F'san was watching her with some amusement. "Ridith told me she wants to be friends," he replied.

Tonya nodded, shifted uncomfortably under his gaze and struggling not to blush again. Releasing the now shy Tonya from his scrutiny, F'san turned and headed toward the far side of the Weyr again.

Grateful, the young weyrling happily walked after him. "I do not wish to seem rude," she began, politely, "But may I ask who our guest is?"

The bluerider smiled slightly. "Not at all," he assured her. "I'm sure you've heard by now that Weyrleader L'poll wishes to start a training programme with watch-whers?" he turned to look questioningly at Tonya. She nodded, so he continued. "Well, last night, wherhandler Fenndrall arrived," he explained, "He has offered his services to start training and more should arrive within the next three sevendays."

Tonya brightened considerably at the thought of meeting her very first watch-wher. F'san guessed from her expression that she had never seen a watch-wher before.

His smile widened and he told her, "You'll like Fenndrask; he's quite gentle as watch-whers go and very curious."

They ascended a set of stairs then and F'san led them to a weyr that was far from those that were inhabited. "He wanted some piece for Fenndrask because he is nocturnal," he explained, seeing Tonya's puzzling look.

She had no time to form a response as they entered the weyr.

* * * *

**Author's Note: Hey, guys. I know I haven't updated in a while, but I kind of lost track of what I wanted for this story. This chapter is courtesy of rainbowjellyfish, who inspired me to look at this story again with her wonderful reviews so, Thanks so much!! And, because of my lack of planning, I am now open to ideas of where you guys want this story to go. So feel free to send your ideas to me via review or PM (although if you PM, I would appreciate you to review as well ;) ) Thank you to all those who are still following this story, your reviews, story alert +, fav author + are all VERY much appreciated. Thanks again! And by for now!!! ;)**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**Cat**


	10. Chapter 10

**A New Dawn**

**Dragonriders of Pern**

F'san swept back the thick cloth that had been hung up to block the light and held it, allowing Tonya to pass through before him.

The first thing Tonya saw when her eyes had adjusted to the darkness of the weyr; was a middle aged man sitting on a bunch of blankets, reading a book.

"Hello there, F'san," he called welcomingly, "I see you brought a friend with you this time".

"Hello to you too," F'san greeted. "And yes, this is Tonya; one of our new weyrlings."

"Well then, it's very nice to meet you, Tonya," he said pleasantly.

Tonya looked at him shyly. "It's very nice to meet you, too, Sir," she returned politely. It was strange; she could almost sense F'san's approval of her behaviour.

Fenndrall watched her for a long moment before returning his attention to F'san. "She's incredibly polite, I'll give you that," and the way he spoke showed to both dragonriders that he was already becoming fond of her.

"That she is," F'san agreed. There was pride evident in his tone, which succeeded in confusing Tonya further. "I've brought her here to show you around the Weyr," he explained.

The wherhandler turned back to Tonya as he spoke steadily. "That is very kind, though unnecessary," he said, still polite, "I'm sure I'll be quite comfortable here with my Fenndrask ".

Somehow, Tonya found the courage to address their guest. "No, if it's OK with you, I'd very much like to show you," she said quietly.

Both men turned to her in surprise. "If you're sure," Fenndrall said as Tonya nodded fervently, "Very well then. I must admit I'm very curious to get a look around; I've not visited a Weyr before."

F'san grinned, almost triumphantly. "It's settled then," he said decisively. He led Tonya back outside. "Thank you," he told her sincerely. "I knew he'd refuse, but its better that he gets out; if he socializes with the weyrfolk and riders, they might accept him more". He grinned at her then. "I knew you'd be able to encourage him. Be warned now, though; he's a stubborn man."

With that sorted, he turned and left, giving her a wave over his shoulder. Tonya watched him leave and only when he was out of sight did she return to the watch-wher's quarters.

As she entered for the second time, she noticed a sleeping form curled in the furthest corner of the weyr. Fenndrall had looked up upon her entrance and seen the direction of her gaze.

"He's gorgeous, isn't he?" he said suddenly, making Tonya jump slightly. He smiled apologetically as he waited her response.

"Yes, he is," Tonya answered, barely able to remove her stare from the slumbering watch-wher long enough to turn back to the handler.

"Would you like to come and meet him later, when he wakes?" he offered, seeing her obvious fascination with his partner.

The young weyrling stared in surprise at the generous offer. "If it's no trouble, Sir, I would love to. I've never met a watch-wher before," she said gratefully.

Fenndrall chuckled lightly. "Of course it's no trouble, lass. And, please, call me Fenndrall. No need to be so formal," he told her. "Come then, shall we get off?" he asked as he placed his book to the side and lifted himself off his blankets.

"Yes," Tonya said and, remembering her manners, added, "Thank you, S – Fenndrall." She blushed as she almost forgot to call him by his name.

"Quite alright, lass, quite alright," Fenndrall assured her. He waved an arm toward the entrance to the weyr, indicating her to lead the way.

Tonya went ahead of him, looking back to check he was following; he was. So she led them back out to the Bowl.

* * * *

**Author's Note: Hey got another chapter, and , thanks to some very welcome and very appreciated help from some readers, I now also have some idea of where I want to go with this story. I'm leaving on Saturday for a two week holiday with NO internet access *sniffle*, (boy will I have a lot of e-mails to go through, mostly fanfic updates ;D ), but I will keep making notes on what I want to write and start typing when I get back (and sorted through my e-mails). I hope this kwwps you satisfied, or at least sort of, for now. I may update before I leave as I do have another chapter waiting, but I'll have to see how I go. So that's it and Bye for now!!! ;)**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**animal8**


	11. Chapter 11

**A New Dawn**

**Dragonriders of Pern**

* * *

Disclaimer: I don't own anything, everything (apart from the characters and main plot of this story) belong to Anne and Todd Maccaffrey!! ;D

* * *

As they walked out into the afternoon sun, Tonya could clearly see her dragonet still entertaining herself with the company of the older blue.

_Tonya!_ Selirth cried when she spotted her rider. She came bounding up, pausing briefly when she spotted the man standing next to her. _Who's this?_ She asked curiously.

Tonya smiled fondly; no doubt her dragon would want to meet the watch-wher later and probably make friends with him as well. "Selirth, this is Fenndrall," she turned to her guest, "Fenndrall, this is Selirth."

Fenndrall crouched down to admire the small green. "So this is the dragonet you impressed, eh?" he said. He reached out a tentative hand and Selirth eagerly leaned forward to rub herself against him; happy little chirps sounding from her chest.

_Tell him, I'm very pleased to meet him,_ Selirth said to Tonya. Her rider chuckled and dutifully relayed her dragon's words.

The wherhandler chuckled as well and eyed the pair of them with an appraising look. "Yes, definitely a good match for you, lass," he said eventually.

Tonya smiled in response. "Go back to Ridith, Selirth," she told her dragon out loud for Fenndrall's benefit. _Okay!_ She agreed easily. Tonya watched as her mate ran gleefully towards her new friend and shook her head in bemusement to her dragon's irrepressible character.

Fenndrall and Tonya spent most of the tour in silence, the only conversation being when Tonya was pointing places out. "This is the Kitchen Cavern," she said, leading the older man into the room. "Dinner won't be for another hour or so, but I'd be happy to come and escort you, if you'd like?" she asked.

"Yes, I think I'd like that," he grinned at her, "Though for now, I think I should be getting back to my Fenndrask, if you don't mind."

"Of course," Tonya replied and began leading the way back out to the Bowl and the darkened weyr of the watch-wher. The young rider became aware of many curious stares directed at the both of them and tried not to blush at the attention.

The older man noted her discomfort and leaned over to whisper conspiratorially, "Personally, I think they could use a better hobby than gossiping." He chuckled. "Never mind them, lass, not often they meet new people here, especially a wherhandler, most have no liking for dragons."

"Why?" Tonya asked curiously, cocking her head slightly to the side.

The response she got was a shrug and a "Who knows?" "Right, well, I don't want to be wasting any more of your time," he said when they arrived back at his weyr, "You best be off. I'll see you tonight and if you still want to see Fenndrask, you're more than welcome to follow me back after dinner."

"Thank you very much, I think I'll take you up on that offer," Tonya said politely. "I'll see you later. Goodnight, Fenndrall." She gave him a small curtsey as she turned to leave.

Fenndrall chuckled. "Goodnight, lass," he called as she departed back to her quarters.

She found Selirth waiting for her when she arrived at the Weyrling Barracks. The young green lifted her head at her approach and crooned softly. _I'm hungry,_ she stated, already sniffing around for food.

Tonya chuckled. _Stay here,_ she told her dragon, _I'll be right back with something for you to eat_. It took less than 15 minutes for her to return with a bowl of scraps that were left out for hungry weyrlings.

Carefully, she fed each piece to her mate, making sure she didn't gulp it down too fast and choke. "Better?" she asked when the bowl had been emptied and the green's belly now bulged.

_Much,_ she sighed, already slipping back to sleep.

"I'll see you later, I've got to go to dinner," she whispered in the hope her dragon would hear before she fell into a deeper sleep.

She got a fuzzy feeling of acknowledgement from her partner so stood up and left quietly, heading back to collect Fenndrall for the evening meal as promised.

* * *

**Author's Note: Okay guys, I got you another chapter! ;D. I know I've been very shameful in not updating sice whenever, even I can't remember when that was ;P. But things have been plenty busy and...yeah, I'm just making excuses. I actually don't know why this wasn't posted, it's been written for awhile and I have just discovered it so I made sure to get it out to you guys straight away ;D. Hope you're thanking me!! Anyway, read, enjoy and most definitely let me know what you think of this, it's incredibly helpful. I have some plans of things happening but it might take me awhile to work out how to get there. Absolutely going to try to develop Tonya and F'san's relationship, though ;D. Let me know what you think of that. Keep on writing, guys. Bye for now!!**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**animal8 xx**


	12. Chapter 12

**A New Dawn**

**Dragonriders of Pern**

Tonya was deep in thought when she left the Weyrling Barracks. So much so, that she didn't notice at first that she wasn't alone. "Hello again," an overly chipper voice called to her from somewhere off to her side.

She turned, startled, and saw that the owner of said voice was the young boy, Dannoll, whom she had met earlier. "Hi," Tonya responded shyly, "I wasn't expecting to see you here."

Dannoll laughed lightly. "Well I wasn't expecting to see you either," he said, a wryly amused smile touching at his lips. "I was just heading off to the Kitchen Cavern for some warm food and _klah_," he told her, "What about you?"

"I was just going to pick up our guest and escort him there as well," Tonya informed. She tried not to, but couldn't help feeling somewhat proud and smug of the job she had been entrusted with.

"Oh," Dannoll muttered abashed. "Well, I better let you carry on then," he turned to leave but Tonya felt bad about disappointing him.

"You could always come with me," she offered with a hopeful smile. "I'm sure Fenndrall wouldn't mind some extra company." Even as she said this she was sincerely hoping that the Wherhandler would agree.

Dannoll turned back to her with a grateful and pleased smile lighting up his face that quickly formed into a cheesy grin. Halla followed not far behind them as Tonya retraced the path up to the weyr that had been assigned to the watch-wher and handler.

"He's never far from you, is he?" Tonya asked, suddenly curious about the little firelizard as it flitted on light wings around the young boy.

Dannoll's response was to smile lovingly up at the small creature before turning to answer Tonya in words. "He likes to be near me, but make no mistake: he is a very independent character."

Tonya could understand that. They had reached the cloth-covered entrance to the weyr now and she quietly slipped inside, holding open a small gap for Dannoll to follow.

Once inside, she became immediately aware of the watch-wher's large presence, still in the corner where it had been curled up before. Dannoll's eyes were wide with awe when she turned to look at him and she couldn't help but grin at his reaction. Halla was now perched on his shoulder, seeming unwilling to be any closer to the unfamiliar creature.

"Ah, Tonya, I see you've returned," Fenndrall's kindly voice drifted to her as he approached from his quarter's.

"Of course," she replied easily, "I promised to take you to dinner, remember?"

Fenndrall laughed lightly and then took notice of the other person standing awkwardly to one side of the room. "Well, well, and who is this?" He questioned, his eyes linked with his in a friendly manner.

"This is my friend, Dannoll," Tonya explained and turned back to the boy, "Dannoll, this is Fenndrall."

"Very pleased to meet you, Sir," he greeted politely, offering a quick bow of respect that was used for dragonriders.

An amused glint entered Fenndrall's gaze as he considered the boy in front of him. He found it interesting that there was such politeness among the youth in this Weyr, as evidenced by these two children.

"And a pleasure to meet you too, boy," he replied. Just as with Tonya, he had seen his fascination with the snoozing watch-wher and he had caught the sight of the brown firelizard that was obviously bonded with him as well. "His name is Fenndrask, if you were wondering. May I have the honour of knowing your little one's name?"

Dannoll lit up as the attention was brought to his friend. "Certainly, this is Halla," he said with pride, "I've had him for the last three Turns."

"He is a fine specimen," Fenndrall said, stepping forward and closely eyeing the brown, who chirped inquisitively under his inspection. "Yes, very fine indeed."

Tonya decided it was time for them to make a move and spoke up. "Perhaps we should head to the Kitchen Cavern now?" She suggested.

"Absolutely," the older man acquiesced. "Time for my first proper foray among you dragonfolk and dragonmen," he chuckled at his own announcement as Tonya turned to lead the way back to the main dining room with Dannoll lingering beside the aging handler.

* * * *

**Author's Note:**** Finally, I got another chapter up ;D. So sorry about the lateness of this, it really is inexcusable. I have actually had this ready to send out for weeks and I can't believe it slipped my mind to do it. I hope you liked this, though, even though I know it is still really short. I am trying to develop the plot, but it's taking a lot of time and I am once again stuck for ideas,**

**I will try to update this as soon as possible. Seeing as its the half-term now, I might try and write another chapter in between my other stories and doing my A-level work ;D. Let's hope that I can so that. Please, stick with me on this and as always, your response means a lot to me as a writer and I am grteful to anyone who spends the time to review. Hope you keep looking out for more.**

**R~E~V~I~E~W~P~L~E~A~S~E**

**animal8 xx**


	13. IMPORTANT AN!

**IMPORTANT AN!**

Hey there guys. I cannot begin to apologise enough for neglecting this story. I have really enjoyed all of your responses to this and I don't really want to give it up.

However, I don't feel that the story as it is, is really any good so I would like a chance to rewrite it and see how it goes. I have already started on redoing the first chapter and I will post it (or at least a portion of it) as the chapter after this.

I would appreciate it if you would let me know how interested you are in seeing this story continue and be rewritten into a hopefully higher standard than it is currently. All of your support for this has been amazing and I hope my lack of updates has not deterred people, though i have a feeling it may have not that I'd blame anyone.

Anyway, let me know what you all think and I'll get back to you with the improved first chapter ;D.

See you all later!

animal8 xx


End file.
